Conventionally, a recording/reproducing apparatus using an electromagnetic tape such as videotape has been pervasive as a recording/reproducing apparatus using an information storage medium for storing video information such as a television image.
Recently, as the information storage medium for storing video information such as a television image, some recording/reproducing apparatuses do not use the electromagnetic tape such as videotape, but use a disc medium that allows (i) high-quality recording and reproduction, and (ii) a large amount of storage. Examples of such a disc medium include: DVD-RAM (Digital Versatile Disc Random Access Memory), DVD−RW (DVD Minus Rewritable), and DVD+RW (DVD Plus Rewritable), and the like.
Such a disc medium has random accessibility unlike the electromagnetic tape. Specifically, even when the disc medium continuously stores video information or the like, reproduction of the disc medium can be carried out from arbitrary point(s) in an arbitrary order by using the reproducing apparatus.
Here, when the electromagnetic tape is ejected (discharged) from the electromagnetic tape reproducing apparatus, a reproduction halt point is kept as it is. Therefore, when the electromagnetic tape is reinserted (reloaded) in the reproducing apparatus, reproduction can be resumed from the halt position.
In contrast, as for the disc medium, the random accessibility makes it difficult to resume the reproduction from the-point at which the reproduction was halted last time. In order to solve such a problem, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 124359/1996 (Tokukaihei 8-124359; published on May 17, 1996) or Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 140858/2002 (Tokukai 2002-140858; published on May 17, 2002) discloses a technique about a resume function of resuming reproduction from an exact point at which the reproduction was halted.
However, with each technique in the patent publications, it is difficult to resume reproduction from the reproduction halt position of the last reproduction once the disc medium is ejected from the reproducing apparatus or the disc is exchanged.
Prior to the reproduction of such recently developed large volume optical disc with the use of the reproducing apparatus, adjustments of optical compensation have to be carried out. Examples of the optical compensation include: thickness error of a substrate, tilt of the substrate, aberration caused by the tilt, reproducing and recording laser power that is subject to outside temperature. For this reason, latency time of several ten seconds is required until an actual start of information reproduction. Such a long latency time poses inconvenience for a user.
Each of the conventional techniques in the publications is arranged such that reproduction of the optical disc can be carried out from the position at which the reproduction was halted last time. However, when especially reproducing a moving image accompanying sound from the reproduction halt position of the last reproduction, the user (viewer) possibly does not have time enough to recognize the content. In such a case, it is necessary for the user to carry out processes of pause, rewind, and the like after the start of the reproduction. Such bothersome processes are required more in the event there are a larger number of disc media that are halted, reproduced, and resumed.
The present invention is made in light of the problems, and its object is to provide: (i) a reproducing apparatus that can start next reproduction of an information storage medium from a position at which reproduction is halted; (ii) a method for controlling the reproducing apparatus; (iii) a reproduction control program; and (iv) a storage medium containing the reproduction control program.
Another object of the present invention is to shorten the latency time from an instruction of starting reproduction to actual start of the reproduction, when resuming reproduction of the information storage medium.
A further object of the present invention is to provide: (i) a display apparatus that can resume the reproduction after the user checks and sufficiently recognizes content that was reproduced before the reproduction halt; (ii) a reproducing method; (iii) a reproducing program; (iv) a storage medium storing the reproducing program.